Bucks Herald

LET’S hear it for a superb all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza that you can’t fail to get swept up in.
Footloose is the story of teenager Ren McCormack (Max Milner), who arrives from Chicago to a small God-fearing town and finds that his big city attitude immediately puts him at logger-heads with the authorities. He is shocked to find that even dancing has been banned by the town’s killjoy council, led by Reverend Shaw Moore (Steven Pinder) and together with his new friends he campaigns for this to be over-turned.
Of course, a musical is only as good as its songs, and Footloose certainly delivers with its blend of big 1980’s hits and more heartfelt numbers.
The scene containing Holding Out For A Hero was the stand-outset-piece, a feast for the eyes and ears that had the audience whooping and screaming with delight. Infact, the good-sized crowd at the Waterside certainly played their part – it was certainly the best atmosphere I have seen in the theatre to date and you could tell the performers feeding off that.
For me the star performers were Giovanni Spano and Jodie Jacobs, who played Ren’s friends Willard and Rusty and injected a great dose of humour into the proceedings.
Jacobs belting out Let’s Hear It For The Boy while Spano was ‘taught’ how to dance was a real comedy highlight. The brilliant Jacobs in particular seems a little over-qualified for her role, having played Eva Peron in the original West End production of Evita, alongside a whole host of other prestigious parts.
Indeed the whole cast received a well deserved standing ovation – and the terrific band and spectacular sets also merited a big round of applause too.
Footloose contains everything a musical should – great songs, spectacular dancing, big production values and a whole lotta fun – it is thoroughly recommended.